


Lover's Day Cake

by Umbr_el_on



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Baking, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22959046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbr_el_on/pseuds/Umbr_el_on
Summary: Written for the February Sylvix Slam! Sylvain is determined to give Felix a sweet gift for Lover's Day, but his previous attempts at sugary presents have all failed. He enlists the help of a powerful young mage to help him make the perfect confection to show his affection...
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Lysithea von Ordelia, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51
Collections: Sylvix Squad Super Stories





	Lover's Day Cake

Sylvain watched with sharp eyes as Felix reluctantly placed a hard candy on his tongue. It was supposed to be sweet yet spicy cinnamon, a desperate attempt to find anything Felix would accept as a Lover’s Day gift. The holiday was fast approaching, and Sylvain was getting desperate to find something he could give his newly acquired boyfriend. He’d expected it to be easier, given the years they’d been friends, but it was apparent that was not going to be the case.

After a few seconds spent sucking on the shard of candy, Felix’s face twisted in the way Sylvain knew meant he didn’t like it. “Why would anyone ruin cinnamon like this?"

Sylvain made a spectacle of throwing his hands in the air, all the way up over his head. “Goddess, Felix, you’re impossible to get gifts for!”

Felix spat the candy into his hand and huffed. “I’m not. You’re just being difficult.”

“I’m not buying you another sword or a pack of smoked meat, I can do that any time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could find something special for you as a token of appreciation for our relationship?” Sylvain dipped back into the flowery words Felix always rolled his eyes at, but it couldn’t be helped when Sylvain started to feel passionate about a topic.

“You’re just doing this to make yourself feel good, Sylvain. I don’t care,” Felix sighed, “and I should get going to wash up before dinner.”

Sylvain watched as Felix walked away to put his training sword back, the jab about being selfish in his actions stinging deep in his chest. He should have expected it, given his history and Felix’s well-known opinion on it, but this time was different.

A new voice in his mind compelled him, seeking to give his genuine self to Felix. It was a new and delicate thing, and Sylvain was frankly clueless on how to indicate the change to anyone else. A familiar detachment wrapped around his shoulders, not yet suffocating but an undesired reminder of how he struggled in social efforts.

“Are you coming or not?” Felix snapped, and Sylvain whipped around to find that Felix had moved to the door while he was spaced out.

Fixing an easy smile on his face, Sylvain jogged to the door. He winked at Felix as he jogged past, his speed enough to dodge the hand that made to smack his shoulder. He heard Felix groan, and the lovable annoyance in the sound made Sylvain laugh, the sting fading with each vibration of his chest. The door slammed behind them, and Sylvain slowed to a walk and turned around to see Felix at a brisk walk. He turned back to face where he was going when Felix caught up, but they only walked in stride together for a few dozen yards before they got to the stairs for the sauna and bath house.

“I’m headed up here, and then to my room to rest,” Felix said, splitting off to get to his first task before Sylvain could delay him.

“I’ll save you a seat at dinner!” Sylvain called out to him.

Felix lifted a hand in acknowledgment. Sylvain smiled at his back, pausing for a moment to appreciate the warmth he felt pulse through him just by looking. He wondered if Felix had any idea how much power he held—his prickliness that kept him in a well-guarded bubble of self-reliance served to draw Sylvain in, to make him long for a chance to fill that bubble with so much warmth and safety and enthusiastic intimacy that they could drown in it.

As nice as that sounded, Sylvain knew there was work to be done before they could have that. He had to earn his place in Felix’s bubble, something no one had ever done. What some had been able to do was get close, to rest their hands on the bubble and add something to it from the outside. Besides himself, Sylvain knew that Annette, Bernadetta, and Lysithea were arguably the next closest to slipping past Felix’s defenses.

As he strolled back to his room, he weighed his options. He only had one more day left to come up with a gift for Felix, and he had made the foolish decision to commit to a food item. That in and of itself ruled Annette out, given her track record of disaster when food came into play. Bernadetta was also an unlikely option, given the improbability of getting her to come out of her room and into the kitchen unless she was forced. He wasn’t sure he’d ever spoken to Lysithea directly before, but he knew she and Felix got along well. If nothing else, it would be entertaining to find out why those two hung out.

His course of action decided, Sylvain grinned as he threw the door open to his room. He made quick work of clearing off his desk, save for a piece of paper and quill to write with. He, of course, knew exactly where he stood in terms of offering sweets to Felix, but Lysithea wouldn’t know. From what he’d heard of the young mage, she was quick to impatient and driven by logic and facts. His fluttering eyelashes and offers of gratitude wouldn’t work on her, so he had to shift gears if he wanted this to lead to anything.

With sloppy writing, Sylvain listed off every sweet he had offered Felix alongside a short description of how he’d reacted to it. He spared no detail, pushing his records to their limits in an effort to be prepared to face Lysithea. He would catch her after dinner, with a brief speech he’d come up with between now and then to convince her why she should look at his list and help him.

With a determined fire in his belly, he carried on writing and planning until the evening bells tolled, a melody that carried through his last few words being inked into the page. With a sigh and an ache in his wrist, Sylvain leaned back into his chair and threw the quill aside. Almost a full page was written, and he laughed at the absurdity of it. If Felix saw this, he’d ask if Sylvain had slammed his head on something. He hadn’t, of course, but it sometimes felt like he did with the dizzying way Felix filled his mind. Rising onto stiff legs, Sylvain saw ink staining his fingers. He added a detour to wash his hands into his mental route to the dining hall, set on maintaining the secrecy of his scheme to surprise Felix.

* * *

After a standard meal with his classmates, Sylvain spotted long white hair making for the exit of the dining hall. It was low enough in the sea of other figures that it couldn’t be Edelgard, the only other student with such pure white locks. Palming his pocket, the crinkle of paper through thin fabric was at once comforting and nerve-racking.

“Ah, sorry everyone, but I need to get going. I have an important meeting with someone and I almost forgot,” Sylvain explained, standing up and gathering his dishes.

Ingrid answered first, a cross look on her face that suggested Sylvain cut her off. “Could you not have waited ten seconds more before leaving?”

Sylvain shrugged, knowing a defense would be useless, and the action prompted Dimitri to speak up. “It would do you well to be more respectful, Sylvain. Not everyone will be as patient with you as we are.”

“Maybe we should stop coddling him,” Felix said, not looking up from his food.

Whatever was said next, Sylvain didn’t stay to hear. He was already moving through the crowd, his height making it easy to keep an eye on the white hair he was following. He found a bin to put his cup and plate into along the way, a relieved exhale passing his lips as he stepped outside. With the concentration of bodies diluted by the openness of the courtyard, Sylvain could finally push his way to Lysithea.

“Hey, Lysithea! You got a minute you can spare?” he asked, stopping a polite distance from her and projecting his voice instead.

She turned to him, eyes narrowed slightly. “Not particularly, but I don’t expect that to stop you. What do you want?”

Sylvain’s face faltered for only a second, the Felix-like way she answered just shy of making him laugh. He caught himself before he offended her, and started his pitch before she could change her mind about giving him her precious time.

“It’s about Felix. I’m trying to give him a gift for Lover’s Day, but I can’t find anything romantic that he likes as a treat. I know you spend a lot of time with him and also happen to love sweets, so I was wondering if—”

“First of all–” Lysithea interrupted with an irritated tone, “–I don’t love sweets, that’s childish. I appreciate them like an adult.” She paused to make sure her point got across. “Second of all, I don’t need a long-winded, plea-filled manifesto about why I should help you. I’ll do it because it’s for Felix.”

Sylvain stared dumbfounded at Lysithea, his words still hovering over his tongue. “You will?” he asked, incredulous.

She rolled her eyes, and Sylvain started to see why Felix got along so well with her. “Yes. I just so happen to have kitchen duty tomorrow. If you stay after lunch, I’ll share the cake recipe I’ve been working on for him.”

“Thank you Lysithea, I really owe you—” Sylvain started, cutting himself off when Lysithea held a hand up.

“It’s fine, I don’t need thanks yet. Let’s see if it works first. And you have to tell him it’s my recipe if it’s good.” Ever the logical thinker, Lysithea wouldn’t indulge in positivities and pleasantries until the task at hand was finished, nor would she lose credit for something she’s done.

“Gotcha, that sounds fair to me. So, do we have a deal?” Sylvain stepped closer, holding out his hand to shake.

Lysithea stared at his outstretched hand for a long second before sighing and indulging Sylvain, squeezing hard and making jerky movements up and down that made Sylvain’s whole arm wiggle. “It’s a deal.”

* * *

Sylvain tapped his foot and glanced around at the empty dining hall, unsure of where Lysithea was. Impatience blossoming in his gut, Sylvain got up from his usual seat and made his way towards the kitchen. He could hear sounds past the door, so he pushed in and relaxed when he saw Lysithea washing the last few dishes in the sink.

She looked over as if she’d been startled, somehow shifting to look both relieved and angry at the same time once she recognized who was barging in. “Sylvain! You should never run into the kitchen like that! What if someone was behind the door?”

“Come on, there’s not going to be anyone else here this long after a meal.” Sylvain walked over and leaned on the counter, watching Lysithea dry off the last bowl and stretch to put it in the cupboard.

“Do you need some help?” Sylvain reached for the bowl, but Lysithea snatched it away.

“I can do it, thank you,” she huffed.

Sylvain drew back his hand and Lysithea hopped to shove the bowl where it belonged. She still looked irritated, but the intensity of it dropped by the second. Washing her hands, Lysithea started to rattle off ingredients for Sylvain to find. He scrambled about, gathering up what he could remember as she lit the oven. Lysithea grabbed the few items he missed after he stopped, as well as grabbing a bowl and a whisk.

“Alright, you need to listen carefully for this to work. There’s chemistry involved in baking; it isn’t just a game.” Lysithea organized some of the ingredients, lining them up in an order Sylvain didn’t understand.

“Okay, I understand. What first?” Sylvain eyed their workspace, aware of how clueless he was about actually making a dessert from scratch.

“You’re going to go down the line, adding ingredients in the amount I tell you,” said Lysithea, pushing the bowl towards Sylvain. “Start with the whole stick of butter.”

Sylvain unwrapped the butter and dropped it into the bowl, realizing it had been sitting out to soften when it splattered. Some of it got onto his sleeves and Lysithea giggled. A smile broke out on Sylvain’s face as well as he wiped it off.

“Don’t add ingredients from so high up, we don’t need to make a mess,” she scolded, but traces of her laughter lingered in her eyes.

They worked their way down the line of ingredients, Lysithea giving instructions for Sylvain to execute. She threw in tips along the way, which Sylvain ate up and filed away for the future. If Felix did like the cake, he wanted to be able to make as many as Felix could ever want. The idea of baking more cakes for Felix made him smile like a fool, and he appreciated that Lysithea didn’t question his expression. Instead, they breezed through mixing everything together into a smooth, light yellow batter.

“That’s all the ingredients! We just need to pour it into a pan.” Lysithea walked to shelves packed with pans of every shape and size they could ask for, and settled on a simple square pan.

“Aw, no hearts or stars?” Sylvain pouted, giving the batter a few more stirs to make sure it was mixed.

“No, we need to make sure the recipe works under standard conditions. If it does, then we can test different shapes,” she explained, setting the pan down next to the bowl.

Sylvain poured the batter in, carrying the bowl to the sink when it was emptied. He rinsed it out as Lysithea tapped the pan against the counter, bringing out all the air bubbles. Sylvain watched as she set the pan in the oven and closed it. The heat radiating from it made Sylvain nervous, but Lysithea didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t impressed by her comfort with the kitchen, in all its potential danger.

“Now, we just need to watch it until it’s done.” Lysithea set about putting away the ingredients, and Sylvain joined her to pass the time.

* * *

After what Sylvain felt was hours–but was only around forty-five minutes–the cake was finished with its time in the oven. Lysithea grabbed more ingredients while Sylvain removed the cake, enchanted towels wrapped around his hands to protect them from the hot metal. The cake was a delicious golden brown, small cracks exposing the vibrant yellow color and fluffy texture of the inside. Sylvain contemplated pulling a piece off to try, the risk of burned fingers an insufficient deterrent.

“Don’t you dare!” Lysithea caught Sylvain as he moved his hand to pinch off a sample, and he smiled mischievously at her.

“Sorry, I can’t help myself when it looks so delicious,” Sylvain said, adding a loose shrug before walking over to where Lysithea had set out ingredients for frosting.

He eyed the ingredients with doubt in his gaze, unable to picture a frosting plain enough to appeal to Felix. He dared not question Lysithea, however, since she was already well beyond the amount of help he could have hoped for. It was nice to see someone else seem to care for Felix, a reassurance that Felix had people he could turn to if Sylvain wasn’t there. For all his intimidation and roughness, he had a skill at attracting the friendship of short ladies.

“I need to get back to my room so I can study, so I’ll whip up the frosting. I’ll give you the recipe at breakfast tomorrow.” Lysithea had already added several ingredients to a bowl and mixed with practiced rhythm.

Sylvain stayed quiet and watched, making note of how she swirled and folded everything together. In minutes, she had a smooth white frosting ready to spread. She eyed it for a beat before she grabbed a spoon and coated the back of it. She scooped some off onto her finger, then held it out for Sylvain to take some as well.

Swiping up the remaining frosting, Sylvain gave it a taste. It was sweet, but mildly so. The overwhelming flavor was vanilla, but even that was somehow less tooth-rotting than any other frosting Sylvain had ever tried. If there was ever going to be a frosting Felix liked, he supposed this would be it.

“That’s great, what’s next?” He asked, hovering his hand over the cake and finding that it was no longer radiating heat.

“We take the cake out of the pan and decorate!” Lysithea smiled, eyes glittering with genuine excitement Sylvain suspected was often stifled.

* * *

In a much more pleasant passing of time, Sylvain and Lysithea decorated their masterpiece. After an even layer of frosting, they used spoons to place dollops around the top edge of the cake. They cut up strawberries, placing a half on each dollop of frosting. The finishing touch was a sugar candy heart, which was stuck standing upright in the center. Sylvain and Lysithea took a step back, admiring their results. Lysithea broke the silence, her desire to stand and stare at things much lower than Sylvain’s.

“That’s all I had planned to do. Let’s clean up and deliver it?”

Sylvain hummed a sound of agreement and set about cleaning. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach, so he tried to distract himself with as many tasks as he could. Scrubbing a bowl a little longer than necessary, prodding at a bag of flour until it was lined up just right on the shelf, anything to buy some more time. Felix had no reason to rebuff this effort any more than the others, but the extra work behind this one made Sylvain aware of how much more it would sting.

His list of tasks to do exhausted, Sylvain turned to Lysithea, who had taken to watching him with a look of understanding and impatience on her face. Nodding to one another, Sylvain picked up the cake as Lysithea opened the door, setting off to the training grounds.

* * *

Sylvain walked inside with Lysithea on his heels, unsurprised to find Felix the only student still swinging his weapon around. He must not have heard his visitors, because he kept up his ruthless drills, an occasional grunt and shout escaping him from exertion. Sylvain paused to admire Felix’s hair falling loose over his shoulders, but the moment was cut short by Lysithea clearing her throat.

“Hey, Felix!” Sylvain called out well before he was in striking range.

Felix spun around to face him, weapon at the ready, but he softened when he recognized who was interrupting. “Sylvain, Lysithea. What brings you here?”

Sylvain just held the cake up a little higher, a stupid grin on his face. The anticipation for Felix’s response made him feel giddy in a way he hadn’t since he was a child. Felix’s glistening face was unreadable as his eyes flickered around, but the tension in his shoulders relaxed further, the tip of his training sword coming to rest on the ground. He didn’t speak, so Sylvain filled in the silence.

“Come here, Fe, I want you to try this. I made–”

“ _ We _ ,” Lysithea interrupted.

Sylvain laughed awkwardly before correcting himself. “We made you a cake.”

Felix walked over, letting his sword drag behind him. “Don’t you know I don’t like sweets?” Though his voice oozed irritation, the softness in his eyes was sign enough that he was actually appreciative.

“You haven’t tried this one yet! It’s a special recipe I made just for you. I cut back the sugar as much as I could, even in the frosting.” Lysithea puffed her chest, proud of her baking experiment.

Felix looked intrigued at that, so he turned to Sylvain. “And what brings you into this?”

“It’s your Lover’s Day gift.”

“Oh, is that today?”

Sylvain couldn’t resist laughing. “Yes. I should have expected you to forget about it. It’s alright, this can be your reminder.”

“Fine. Do you have a way for me to try this or not?” Felix wore a ghost of a smile, and Sylvain almost melted at the sight.

Pulling a fork from his pocket, Sylvain held it out with a shaky hand. Felix took it and picked a strawberry off the top, taking a small bite. A still moment followed, Lysithea and Sylvain watching for any reaction from Felix. His eyes widened, so little that anyone else with less focus would have missed it, but it’s enough. The confidence grew when Felix took a forkful of cake to try, and exploded into a joyous and relieved sigh when Felix hummed.

“That’s not bad,” he conceded, and Lysithea skips over.

“I’m glad my recipe came out so well!”

“Thank you, Lysithea. This is exactly what I was hoping for,” Sylvain said, fixing Felix with an affectionate stare.

Sylvain was taken aback by a set of rough lips on his, but they were gone before he could do anything. Felix’s cheeks were dusted pink and he was observing his fork picking up another bite very intently. Sylvain chuckled at how unapologetically himself Felix was acting. Maybe he’d managed to convince Felix this gesture wasn’t just for his benefit. In fact, maybe he was starting to prove their whole relationship was more than a selfish act on Sylvain’s part. He opened his mouth to tell Felix something, he wasn’t sure what, but he was interrupted before he could get sappy.

“Alright, that’s enough of  _ this _ ,” Lysithea waved her hand around, “for me. I’m glad you like the cake, Felix. And Sylvain, you weren’t awful to bake with. We should do it again sometime.” With that, Lysithea saw herself out of the training grounds.

Sylvain smiled and waved at her retreating back. He really did owe her for her help. He already felt a change between him and Felix, with the way Felix was still blushing and allowing himself a measure of peace just enjoying some cake without rushing back to train. Sylvain realized this moment was the closest thing to a date they’d had so far, and resolved to fix that next.

“Sylvain?” Felix’s voice was quiet and shy, so different it nearly knocked Sylvain over.

“What is it, Fe?”

“Thank you.”

This time, Sylvain did melt, right into a hug that Felix didn’t squirm under. He almost dropped the cake, but a careful rebalancing of his hand saved the day. He repeated the balancing act again when he was met with another kiss, this one long enough for him to reciprocate.


End file.
